September Blooms: 'Lemon Drop' Dwarf Golden Rod

September blooms are golden:




'Lemon Drop' Dwarf Golden Rod zones 5-8

I know what your thinking.

Goldenrod?

Yes Golden Rod! With it’s sturdy yellow plumes of late summer and fall flowers, Golden Rod can be a dazzling addition to a large planting, especially a meadow planting or a wildflower garden.

Allergy suffers are rolling their eyes, but unless you put your nose right into the Golden Rod blooms, most likely you won't be affected by its pollen. Golden Rod has heavy, almost sticky pollen, which needs to be carried by bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

What you are probably allergic to is Rag Weed, which blooms at the same time. Rag Weed has a green flower and very light pollen that is carried far and wide by the wind.

September Blooms: ‘Knockout’ Roses

September blooms will knock you out:



‘Knockout’ Roses – zone 5-11

It seems that every time Victoria is on WKZE's Garden Show with Sally Spillane, she ends up talking about 'Knock Out' roses. Almost every show, all season long because they look great all season long!

We are not rose people. Traditional English roses are just too fussy and too much work. They are the Prima Donas of the plant world, BUT ‘Knockout’ roses thrive on neglect and pump out color and fragrance from spring to frost. Really! Drought-tolerant, disease resistant, and still blooming in November!

They grow about 5 feet high and wide, thrive in full sun to part shade, but don't seem to be too picky about any other condition EXCEPT wet feet. Plant in dry to well drained soil.

September Blooms: Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake'

A wall of white blooms in September:





Viburnum ‘Summer Snowflake’ zones 5-9

This shrub grows quite tall 10’ tall by 6’ wide and will provide a wall of white blooms all summer long. Yes! All summer long! When the flowers finally fade, they are replaces by bright red berries.

Very low maintenance! Deer resistant and an amazing performer from May to September.

September Blooms: Persicaria ‘Firetail’

Persicaria ‘Firetail’ Zones 3-9

Upright spikes of long blooming light pink, hot pink, or white flowers, Persicaria can take wet feet and grows well pond side. Can grow in full sun or part shade, marshy or well drained soil. Very low maintenance perennial. Plant and ignore.

Blooms from June until October. 'Firetail' grows into big 3 to 4 foot wide and high, bushy clumps.

Other varieties include 'Pink Elephant', which is a lighter pink and stays much smaller only 12 to 15 inches.

September blooms: Buddleia (Butterfly Bush)

September blooms couldn't be easier:



Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) zones 5-9

Most of you are familiar with this butterfly beacon. It comes in many colors, grows 5 to 10 feet tall, and reseeds itself when happily situated. If you deadhead the past blooms, the buddleia will continue to provide color for your garden and nectar to your butterflies through the fall!

Buddleia is a deer resistant, full sun staple. Because so many people have them, we get lots of questions regarding when and how and how much to cut the shrubs back.

You basically have three options: You can leave it be in the fall and cut it back in the spring as leaves emerge. At that point, trim back the parts that don't leaf-out.

Or you can cut the shrub in half during your fall clean-up, but most likely you will still need to trim it up a bit again in the spring as it leafs-out.

Or you can completely neglect your butterfly bush, leaving the buddleia alone for years at a time until at some point it looks like it needs attention. (They are pretty and pretty easy, which is why they are so popular!)

September Blooms: Geranium ‘Rozanne’

Our feature on plants that actually flower in September continues:



Geranium ‘Rozanne’ zones 3-9

A perennial geranium that belongs in everyone’s garden. Why? Because it produces a profusion of purple flowers from May until October! Super low maintenance. Absolutely the most bloom for your buck!

September Blooms: Persicaria ‘Magic Carpet’

Continuing our profiles of September's abundant blooms:



Persicaria ‘Magic Carpet’ zones 4-9

Multicolored ground cover with light-pink round blooms. Can take it wet, but performs well almost anywhere including containers. Very low maintenance.

This ground cover is just cool. As its name 'Magic Carpet' implies, we'd go so far as to say this tie-dyed, tiny-leafed, red-stemmed plant is downright groovy.

September Blooms: Calamintha nepeta (Mountain Mint)

September blooms:



Calamintha nepeta (Mountain Mint) zones 5-9

Airy plumes bloom from June to October on this lovely herbaceous perennial. Blooms and leaves can be used fresh or dried to make mint tea with a rich spearmint flavor.

Like all plants in the mint family, Mountain mint is deer resistant and in general is a cold-hardy, tough perennial. For such a tough plant, we love the cloud-like softness this perennial can add to a garden.

Plant Profile: Geranium 'Rozanne' - Blooms and blooms in every garden!

GERANIUM 'ROZANNE'

DEER RESISTANT SHADE OR FULL SUN PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE
zone 5
12 - 18" tall and wide
blooms: June - September

Longest blooming perennial geranium!

Plant Profile: Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)

PEROVSKIA ATRIPLICIFOLIA

DEER RESISTANT FULL SUN PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - DROUGHT TOLERANT
zone 4
36 - 48" tall and wide
blooms: July - September

Pair with Scabiosa in front and ornamental grasses behind, and you will have a stunning fall display.

Plant Profile: Geum - Deer Resistant, Full Sun, Drought Tolerant, Long Bloomer!

GEUM CHILOENSE 'LADY STRATHEDON'

DEER RESISTANT SUN PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - DROUGHT TOLERANT
zone 5
16 - 24" tall and wide
blooms: late May to July





GEUM CHILOENSE 'MRS. BRADSHAW'

DEER RESISTANT SUN PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - DROUGHT TOLERANT
zone 5
16 - 24" tall and wide
blooms: late May to July





GEUM RIVALE 'FLAMES OF PASSION'


DEER RESISTANT SUN PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - DROUGHT TOLERANT
zone 5
16 - 24" tall and wide
blooms: late May to July

The Many Faces of Euphorbia

EUPHORBIA POLYCHROMA 'BONFIRE'

DEER RESISTANT SUN OR SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - DROUGHT TOLERANT
zone 5
18 tall and 36" wide
blooms: spring but foliage great color all season long





EUPHORBIA POLYCHROMA (EPITHYMOIDES)


DEER RESISTANT SUN OR SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - DROUGHT TOLERANT
zone 5
18 tall and 36" wide
blooms: spring but foliage great color all season long





EUPHORBIA AMYGDALOIDES VAR. 'CRAIGIEBURN'


DEER RESISTANT SUN OR SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - DROUGHT TOLERANT
zone 5
18 tall and 36" wide
blooms: spring but foliage great color all season long





EUPHORBIA AMYGDALOIDES VAR.'ROBBIAE'

DEER RESISTANT SUN OR SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - DROUGHT TOLERANT
zone 5
18 tall and 36" wide
blooms: spring but foliage great color all season long





EUPHORBIA MYRSINITES

DEER RESISTANT SUN OR SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - DROUGHT TOLERANT
zone 5
6" tall and 36" wide
blooms: spring but foliage great color all season long

Plant Profile: Aquilegia canadensis 'Little Lanterns'

AQUILEGIA CANADENSIS 'LITTLE LANTERNS'

DEER RESISTANT SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - ATTRACTS HUMMINGBIRDS
zone 3
10 - 12" tall and wide
blooms: April - May

Early Spring Bloomers: Hellebores

We have been big fans of Hellebores for many years, because they are hardy, deer resistant shade plants, and they are one of the first perennials to bloom late winter/early spring. Many varieties push their delicate blooms up through the snow, and the evergreen foliage is a welcome winter sight. Lucky for us, this year our growers are offering a myriad of new and exciting varieties.

Multiple varieties of hellebore should be in everyone’s garden, after all, who isn’t in desperate need of some landscape color at the end of a tough, brutal winter?

Although they have been very popular, but we still have some of the early spring ladies in stock, 'Rachel', Mary Lou', and 'Rosemary.' Plus we have 'Ivory Prince', 'Josef Lemper', and 'Royal Heritage.' We are getting a new delivery of Hellebores this week, so stop by to make sure you pick up yours.

Plant Profile: Spireae thunbergii ‘Ogon’ (Spirea 'Mellow Yellow')

Spireae thunbergii ‘Ogon’ (Spirea 'Mellow Yellow')





The wispy spreading branches of the 'Ogon' are covered with thousands of tiny white flowers in early spring - and last for a few weeks - just before the showy golden yellow leaves appear. And in the fall, the foliage color is almost psychedelic - shades of gold, rusty red and orange.



(Forgive the blurry image, but above is Spirea 'Mellow Yellow' turning colors in the early fall and below is the final fall show!)



Grown in sun or shade, drought-tolerant, and all-around tough plants - all varieties of Spirea are the kings of low-maintenance plants. We joke that you just can't kill these shrubs! However, a good shearing after the 'Mellow Yellow' is done blooming will keep the shrub compact and neat looking (The flowers bloom on old wood so try not to prune it in the summer or fall.)



If you leave the shrub unpruned, it has arching, wispy branches covered with fine textured chartreuse foliage in the summer, and the shrub will reach 3 to 5 feet tall and wide.

It attracts butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.


SPIREA 'MELLOW YELLOW'
DEER RESISTANT SUN PLANT - DEER RESISTANT SHADE PLANT -
LOW MAINTENANCE - BLACK WALNUT TOLERANT
zone 4
3' - 5' tall and wide
blooms: early spring

Plant Profile: Primula polyantha 'Francesca'

PRIMULA POLYANTHA 'FRANCESCA'

DEER RESISTANT SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - -WET TOLERANT - CLAY SOIL TOLERANT
zone 5
4' - 6" tall and 6' - 8' wide
blooms: early spring to early summer (and sometimes beyond)


Primula polyantha 'Francesca' exceeds all expectations in the garden! This delicate, diminutive and fragrant primrose blooms and reblooms:

Plants that were in the shade and well watered were still blooming in August - outstanding for any plant, but especially for a primrose. 'Francesca' has unusual ruffled flowers of lime green with a yellow center and make a stunning companion plant to Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' and other chartreuse shade plants.

Our grower says, "Native to bogs, moist meadows and woodlands, they are perfect for damp or poorly drained soil. Try under a rain downspout, next to your water feature, pond or stream. With adequate moisture, it also performs well in a border."

Primrose in general are so wet-tolerant that they can even be planted in stream beds. The garden at Inisfree has some stunning mid-stream plantings - well worth the visit.

Plant Profile: Helleborus hybridus 'Blue Metallic Lady'

HELLEBORUS HYBRIDUS 'BLUE METALLIC LADY'

DEER RESISTANT SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - BLACK WALNUT TOLERANT
zone 4
14' - 18" tall and wide
blooms: early spring to April


Helleborus hybridus 'Blue Metallic Lady'is newly developed by Helleborus breeder Gisela Schmiemann of Cologne, Gemany:

This "lady" is a knockout! Striking dark purple-blue flowers with a metallic sheen bloom above dark and handsome foliage. This is a very new hybrid, so there may be some color variations between crops. If you need a very specific hue of blue choose a plant that's blooming to be sure - although the promise and allure of this plant may be enough for the more adventurous of us to commit to this "lady" sight-unseen!

Plant Profile: Helleborus Foetidus

HELLEBORUS FOETIDUS



DEER RESISTANT SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - BLACK WALNUT TOLERANT - DROUGHT TOLERANT - CLAY SOIL TOLERANT
zone 5
18" - 24" tall and wide
blooms: early spring to mid-May


Helleborus foetidus is one of the first perennials of the season to bloom. Pale green maroon-edged flowers and bracts on tall stalks contrast the lower dark foliage:

Helleborus foetidus is also called the "stinking" or "bear-foot" hellebore, but don't be dissuaded by the unromantic name! (It's not noticeably odorous unless you really put your nose in the plant.) It more than makes up for its name with its superb evergreen foliage, its reliable early blooms, and its ability to self propagate. (Ants apparently are mainly responsible for carrying these seeds through your garden, so when you see them marching around, remember they're working for you!) Two or three plants can produce a colony in matter of years. It also is a favorite among honey bees, which makes sense, being the first available pollen after a long cold winter!


Helebores.org also says, "Few hellebores are as magnificent during the coldest days of winter prior to blooming. The foliage can be breathtaking when little else in the garden is visible...Leaflets are narrow and neatly serrated. At or near ground level leaves are typically absent. Individual stems live but a short time; often they grow for one year and bloom the following year before fading. If cut back, they are soon replaced with new growth. Like other caulescent hellebores, it is fairly quick (by hellebore standards) from seed to bloom, often blooming in its second year."

We also have a new variety coming this year, Helleborus foetidus 'Gold Bullion'. Our grower says this new variety has "outstanding, chartreuse foliage with yellowish gold new growth and red tinged stems. Keeps its good looks through the winter months with attractive, greenish yellow flowers blooming late winter/spring from 20" tall stems. Slow spreading, clumping habit. Brightens up a shady spot! Can tolerate clay soils."

Sounds like a winner, right?

Plant Profile: Helleborus orientalis ‘Royal Heritage’

HELLEBORUS ORIENTALIS 'ROYAL HERITAGE'

DEER RESISTANT SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE - BLACK WALNUT TOLERANT
zone 4
24 - 36" tall and wide
blooms: early spring to mid-May


Helleborus orientalis ‘Royal Heritage’ is one of our favorite hellebores and it is one of our grower's showcase plants:

"You always remember those plants that tell you that a long winter is coming to a close and that spring is just around the corner. The most memorable of these plants has to be Helleborus orientalis ‘Royal Heritage’, a great selection of the Lenten Rose that every gardener with a strong desire for spring weather should grow.

Hellebores are a group of plants that have been known to gardeners for many years but have not been the easiest plants to come by mainly due to propagation issues. ‘Royal Heritage’ is a breakthrough in this area due to its relative ease of propagation. Even better, this selection is remarkable in its ability to bloom over a long period of the late winter and early spring while providing an array of colors that will melt the chilled heart of any gardener.

Tough and tolerant with Zone 4 hardiness, ‘Royal Heritage’ presents a formidable profile in the garden with 24” height and a 24 – 36” spread of dark, lustrous, deeply lobed evergreen foliage with serrated edges. Its vigorous nature carries through to its strong flowering habit as a multitude of buds emerge at the first late winter or early spring mild spell ready to open up at the first hint of sustained early spring warmth. When those buds open, your heart will be warmed to the melting point by the nodding, 1.5 to 2” diameter flowers that span a range from white to pastel pink to red to nearly black in color. This amazing rainbow of bloom continues through the early spring and into mid-May.

‘Royal Heritage’ should be in everyone’s garden, after all, who isn’t in desperate need of some landscape color at the end of a tough, brutal winter?? This selection is quite easy to grow needing a partial to full shade spot in the garden, moist, well drained soil, and a good layer of surface mulch to keep it happy and ready to signal spring’s arrival. Plant some today and let ‘Royal Heritage’ be your lasting memory of the joys of spring’s arrival." -from Prides Corner Farms